Committee of 100’s ongoing effort to identify and monitor legislation that restricts property ownership by foreign governments, businesses, and people shows a continuing effort by state governments and Congress to limit the ability of such entities to own property in the U.S. (see our data of bills considered in 2023 here). 

As of November 4, 2024, in states’ 2023-2024 legislative sessions…

• 164 bills restricting property ownership by foreign entities have been considered by 34 states (128 bills) and Congress (36 bills).
• Of the 164 total bills, 76 are under currently consideration that would prohibit Chinese citizens from purchasing or owning property.
• Of the 164 total bills, 16 passed and were signed into law in Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa (2 bills), Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska (2 bills), Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee (4 bills), and Utah, respectively.
• Of the 16 bills passed so far, 10 prohibit Chinese citizens from purchasing or owning some form of property: Georgia’s SB 420; Indiana’s HB 1183; Mississippi’s SB 2519; Nebraska’s LB 1301; Oklahoma’s SB 1705; South Dakota’s HB 1231; Tennessee’s HB 2553, SB 2639, HB 40, and SB 122

And since the beginning of 2023…

• 251 bills restricting property ownership by foreign entities have been considered by 40 states (215 bills) and Congress (36 bills).
• Of the 251 total bills, 194 have been under consideration that would prohibit Chinese citizens from purchasing or owning property; 174 bills have been considered by 38 states and 20 have been considered by Congress.
• Of the 251 total bills, 32 passed and were signed into law in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida,  Georgia, Iowa (2 bills), Idaho (2 bills), Indiana (2 bills), Louisiana (2 bills), Missouri, Mississippi (2 bills), Montana, North Dakota (2 bills), Nebraska (2 bills), Oklahoma (2 bills), South Dakota, Tennessee (4 bills), Utah (2 bills), Virginia, (2 bills), and West Virginia.
• Of the 29 bills passed so far, 14 prohibit Chinese citizens from purchasing or owning some form of property: Arkansas’ SB 383; Florida’s S 264; Georgia’s SB 420; Indiana’s HB 1183 and SB 477; Mississippi’s SB 2519; Nebraska’s LB 1301; Oklahoma’s SB 1705; South Dakota’s HB 1231; Tennessee’s HB 2553, SB 2639, HB 40, and SB 122; and West Virginia’s SB 548.

Committee of 100 believes that passage of bills prohibiting property ownership by citizens of foreign countries would legitimize harmful and xenophobic claims about immigrants that would exacerbate rising anti-Asian violence that has negatively affected U.S. citizens and non-citizens alike. Should they take effect, these laws would also disproportionately affect a wide range of people of color living in the United States; most of the countries targeted in this legislation are majority non-white.

The interactive mapping tool below illustrates legislative activity in 2024 by state governments and Congress pertaining to restriction of property ownership by foreign citizens, businesses, and governments, especially those related to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).  Clicking a state (or “US,” which refers to federal legislation considered by the U.S. Congress) provides a detailed summary of all legislation considered by that state.  The tabs above the map allow users to view legislation that has passed or is currently under consideration in 2023.

The bills considered in 2024 include provisions that encompass a wide range of restrictions on an extensive variety of properties by a large array of foreign entities and their respective countries.  This mapping tool allows users to navigate across this legislative landscape by specifying the provisions they are interested in through the dropdown menus above the map entities, and the glossary below the map details the terms used in these provisions.  The following template illustrates the formula of restrictions specified in each bill: Some entity (e.g. governments, nonresident aliens) belonging to some country(ies) (e.g. all foreign countries, foreign adversaries, PRC) are restricted from having some interest (e.g. prohibited from owning, leasing, or are regulated in some other way) in some property (e.g. all real property, agricultural property, state land). 

Glossary of terms

Entity restricted from property ownership

• Government: A country’s government and affiliated governmental entities, which includes entities that are sponsored, funded, controlled, or owned by the government.
• Businesses: Businesses, companies, corporations, or other organizations that are headquartered in, or organized under the laws of, a foreign country.
• Nonresident aliens: Individual citizens of foreign countries that are not permanent U.S. residents.
• Resident aliens: Individual citizens of foreign countries that are permanent U.S. residents.

Countries restricted from property ownership

• All foreign countries: All non-U.S. countries.
• Foreign Adversaries: governments of foreign countries identified by the Secretary of Commerce as having “engaged in a long-term pattern or serious instances of conduct significantly adverse to the national security of the United States or security and safety of United States persons,” which includes (as of 2024): People’s Republic of China, Republic of Cuba, Islamic Republic of Iran, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela under the regime of Nicolás Maduro.
• Countries of Particular Concern: countries designated by the Secretary of State under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 as having a government that “has engaged in or tolerated ‘particularly severe violations of religious freedom,’” which includes (as of 2023): Burma, People’s Republic of China, Republic of Cuba, Eritrea, Islamic Republic of Iran, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Republic of Nicaragua, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Russia, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Republic of Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
• Threat-Assessed Countries: Countries identified by the Director of National Intelligence in the Director’s Annual Threat Assessment report as “the most direct, serious threats to the United States,” which includes (as of the 2023 report): People’s Republic of China, Russian Federation, Islamic Republic of Iran, and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
• ITAR Countries: Countries identified in 22 C.F.R. § 126.1 as being denied “licenses and other approvals for exports and imports of defense articles and defense services, destined for or originating in certain countries,” which (as of 2024) includes Republic of Belarus, Burma, People’s Republic of China, Republic of Cuba, Islamic Republic of Iran, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Syrian Arab Republic, and Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
• Sanctioned Countries: Countries identified by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Sanctioned Programs and Country List.
• China included: The People’s Republic of China is included in a custom list of countries identified.
• China only: The People’s Republic of China is singly identified.

Restriction type

• Ownership Prohibited: prohibition of purchase and/or ownership of property.
• Rent/lease Prohibited: prohibition of rental and/or lease of property.
• Regulation (Other): Various regulations that do not directly prohibit buying, owning, renting, or leasing property, including reporting, monitoring, conducting studies about, and increasing penalties for foreign property ownership.

Property type

• All Property: All real estate and real property, sometimes including water rights and/or mineral rights belonging to the property.
• Residential: Real property that is zoned as residential property.
• Agriculture: Real property that is used for farming, ranching, or timber production, and/or zoned for agricultural use.
• Commercial:  Real property used for business or commercial use, and/or zoned for such use.
• State land: Real property owned by and/or under the control of a state.
• Sensitive land: Real property located within a certain (and variable) distance of a military facility and/or critical infrastructure.

Committee of 100 would like to thank Micah Brown, Staff Attorney at The National Agricultural Law Center for his research that has greatly aided this project.  If you see anything incorrect on this page, or know of new bills that haven’t been included, please email Committee of 100 Research and Data Scientist Sam Collitt at scollitt@Committee100.org.